Spanish naval officers are facing jail for allegedly shipping more than 127kg cocaine from Colombia to New York on a training ship.

Three sailors were arrested in July following a US operation but the stash - hidden among candles in a storeroom - was not uncovered until today.

Investigations started in May this year after New York police seized 20kg of cocaine from two Colombians in the city.

Under interrogation, they revealed it had been shipped by the Juan Sebastian Elcano, which serves as a floating embassy for Spain.

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Drug stash: Officials in Cadiz, Spain, have uncovered 127kg of cocaine aboard the Juan Sebastian Elcano, a Spanish Armada training ship, after dealers in New York admitted their drugs were transported by the ship

The crew was paid to transport the drug after being ambushed by the a gang of drug traffickers when they docked in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, during a six-month tour, reports claim.

Operation: The Civil Guard found the stash among candles in a store room three weeks after the ship docked

'Ambushed': The crew aboard the ship (pictured being searched) was allegedly ambushed by traffickers when they docked in Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. When they returned to Spain, three sailors were arrested

They were detained in Alcalá-Meco military prison in Madrid where they now face charges of drug trafficking, which carries up to six years in jail.

But this morning, after a further three weeks of investigations in Cadiz, Spain, officials uncovered a further 127g in a storeroom of candles aboard the training ship.

Since the operation started in May, the 1927 ship has hosted a number of high-ranking dignitaries, Spanish defence ministers, and 69 trainees from the Spanish navy.